


drew&rick | a storm

by goldpeak



Category: The Night Shift (TV 2014)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Drew Alister - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Lightning - Freeform, M/M, PTSD, Rick Lincoln - Freeform, The Night Shift - Freeform, Thunder - Freeform, Thunderstorms, two gays in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-14 00:59:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11772162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldpeak/pseuds/goldpeak
Summary: With a snap, lightning lit up the dark, cloudy sky.Drew was a soldier. He’d been in the throes of battle more than once, he’d seen indescribable horrors first hand.How did a mere storm have him trembling in fear?





	drew&rick | a storm

With a snap, lightning lit up the dark cloudy sky. Through the window, Drew saw the bolt of electricity snake towards the ground – but then as soon as it had appeared, it was gone and everything was black again. Silent again, too, other than the intrusive pitter-patter of the raindrops on the roof. The windows were streaked with water, the harsh wind blowing the rain diagonally against cars, windows, and trees. Branches broke off and fell to the ground, limbs crunching and groaning as the storm took its toll on the surrounding nature.

Drew was huddled on the couch, knees tucked to his chest and a blanket draped over him. He had the night off from the hospital today, as he had covered a shift for Topher a few days ago and that was his repayment. Rick was supposed to head home right after his last class finished, and they were going to order takeout and binge on movies, all cozy on the couch together- but that did not go as planned.

Because then, the storm had hit. Rick was nowhere to be seen, the power was out, and Drew was scared to shit.

Drew was a soldier. He’d been in the throes of battle more than once, he’d seen indescribable horrors first hand. How did a mere storm have him trembling in fear? It was the thunder. He didn’t mind the rain or the clouds- he loved the coziness of rainy days. The lightning? Lightning was more cool than scary. Thunder...oh, he despised thunder. How it made the ground shake, made windowpanes rattle, made pictures fall off walls and lights flicker. How it made it seem like he was being bombed, again.

That’s why he didn’t like thunder.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the doorknob rattled and swung inwards. He snapped his head to face the intruder, kicking his blanket off his lap and stumbling to his feet. To his relief, all that came through the door was a soaked and shivering Rick.

Alarm fading from his body, he rushed towards his husband. The door shut behind him and the sound of the wind dulled out again. Rick looked up at Drew with a meek grin on his face, water dripping off his chin.

“What happened to you?” Drew asked, peeling the soaked jacket off of his husband’s body and chucking it onto the doormat.

“Long story, but our car is now parked at the entrance to the neighborhood because the roads were all flooded. I walked the rest of the way.” Rick chuckled. “Towel?”

Drew nodded, whisking off to their bathroom. He grabbed a towel, as he had been asked to, and dry clothes for his soaked husband.

He made his way back into the living room, setting the towel and clothes down on the couch and moving to help Rick peel his sticky shirt off of him. The wet clothing dropped to the floor next to the jacket with a gross squelch. Rick toed off his boots and wiggled out of his jeans, before Drew handed him the towel and he dried himself off.

Drew had been busy focusing on Rick, but as soon as the commotion stopped and Rick pulled his dry shirt on, thunder shook the entire house. Drew’s calm demeanor snapped as he stumbled backwards, a whimper escaping his mouth. The rumbling subsided and he took a couple deep breaths, looking up to see Rick’s concerned eyes trained on him.

“I’m fine.” Drew brushed it off, but Rick wasn’t convinced. He was a soldier too, Drew couldn’t pull this bullshit on him.

Rick put the dry sweatpants on and picked up his wet clothes and the towel, heading towards the laundry room. He beckoned for Drew to follow, who obeyed.

As soon as the wet clothes had been put away, he turned to face Drew and grabbed his hands. Drew looked down and then up at Rick’s face, before averting his gaze and focusing on something in the difference.

Rick sighed, noticing that his husband’s hands were literally trembling. He felt them tense as Drew tried to hide how anxious he was from Rick.

“Drop the act, Drew,” Rick said softly.

Drew froze for a moment, before letting his gaze meet Rick’s again. “This is ridiculous. I’m fine. You’re not, you need a warm shower.”

“Drew.” Rick’s voice took on an edge. “You’re not fine. You’re shaking.”

Drew swallowed before replying. “It feels like- it seems like we’re being bombed.”

“I know.” Rick nodded, smoothing his thumb over top of Drew’s hand. “You’re safe. You got that? I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Drew sighed shakily before he took his hands back from Rick’s grip to rub at his eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

“Come on. Let’s get to bed,” Rick insisted, placing a hand on Drew’s shoulder and guiding him to their bedroom.

“You need a warm shower,” Drew reminded him in a feeble attempt to take the attention off himself.

“I’m fine. I’ll warm up in bed. I’m not the one shaking,” he reminded Drew with a teasing smile.

Drew huffed out a laugh. “Yeah.”

Rick got in on his side of the bed, pulling the covers back so Drew could slip under them too. Once they were both situated, Rick reached over to the wall behind the headboard and flipped the lights off. He felt Drew tense from a few inches away.

Drew looked up at Rick, watching as the latter's eyes flitted around Drew's face.

“God. You’re pretty, you know that?” Rick chuckled and Drew ducked his head, a blush creeping its way up his cheeks.

Rick laid back and opened his arms as an invitation. Drew took him up on his offer and laid his head on his chest, draping a leg over Rick’s and wrapping an arm around him as well. He felt the weight of his husband’s arm wrap around his shoulders, and how Rick shifted forward to press a loving kiss to Drew’s forehead.

“I don’t deserve you,” Drew mumbled into the soft fabric of his t-shirt.

“Of course you do. Don’t be stupid,” Rick scolded, tightening his grip around Drew. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” Drew slurred, already falling into the warm clutches of sleep.

...

 


End file.
